Don't Be Afraid
by Vegetarian Salad
Summary: Hinata has been working in the same place forever, and is thinking about quitting, when a familiar face shows up after years, and makes things a little more interesting. NejiHina.Features Don't Be Afraid by Smoking Popes.
1. The Bluest Summer Skies Cloudless In

Note from the Author: I have _always _wanted to write one of those characters-are-in-another-time-and-place-and-only-keep-the-names-and-personalities-they-have-in-the-show stories. SO … I am. And I'm using my favorite pairing.

Oh. And all work scenes are written with EXPERIENCE behind them. --

_The bluest summer skies cloudless in your eyes ..._

Hyuuga Hinata didn't work in a fast food restaurant.

At least that's what she kept telling herself.

Right now, she didn't care _what _the stupid place was called – she hated it.

Her boss, Gai, for some reason, had decided to take out his overzealous need to improve today's youth on _her _and had given her the bathrooms today. _Disgusting _wasn't a strong enough word to describe the men's bathroom. It was rancid in there, and she swore a roach that she saw in the last stall had pulled a knife on her.

She had just finished the last toilet and was taking the bleach back to its spot in the backroom, when Gai told her he wanted to speak with her. She rolled her eyes, throwing the bleach in the corner of the backroom and taking the garbage bags out to the dumpster. No doubt he wanted to tell her that her performance was not living up to his expectations of today's youthfulness (meaning _You don't work as hard as Rock Lee does, because he's a perfect replica of me_).

And she probably wasn't living up to his expectations – or anyone's, for that matter. She couldn't even meet her own expectations. She was a shy, quiet girl with no particular talents. She was mediocre academically, positively awful at sports and not very artistically-inclined.

Even she found herself pathetic – not so much because she was useless, but because that's how her father saw her. If she could be functional for him, her world would be better. All she had ever wanted was his approval – and he shunned her time and again. She was a disappointment to him; his eldest daughter that was supposed to take over the family company couldn't even make president of her class. She was pitiful.

Trudging back to the front of the diner, she leaned on the counter, pouring some coffee into a Styrofoam cup, waiting for him to speak. One of the few perks of working in this god-awful place: free coffee.

"Hinata-chan!" Gai all but shouted in her ear and startled her into spilling her coffee. Pausing in his line of thought, he said, "You need to work on your jumpiness. It's not very efficient."

Hinata stared down into the black coffee, not wanting to put creamer in it because she knew it was out-dated. _Efficiency is a concept Hyuuga Hinata does not understand._

"_Anyway,_" Gai continued, realizing she'd completely ignored whatever he'd just said. "I wanted to tell you that we have a new employee starting today."

Since he had finally succeeded in catching her interest, she blinked up at him. New blood? That might be fun. Working with Kiba and Shino all the time was nice because they were familiar, but it'd be cool to be able to hang out with someone else on their few and far between breaks. "Really? Girl or boy?"

"Boy!" Gai's perfect teeth glimmered and she averted her eyes to keep from going blind.

She was vaguely disappointed. She, TenTen, and, their manager, Kurenai, were the only girls on the staff. They were outnumbered four to three as it was, and now there were going to be _five _teenaged – wait. "How old is he?" she thought to ask.

Mistaking her interested in his age for an interest in _dating _him, he gave a mischievous smirk. "Ah, Hinata-chan. I knew somewhere in there, a tiger was thrashing to get out." At her lifted eyebrow, he said, "He's seventeen."

Hinata gave a "Hn" and shrugged. He was the same age as TenTen and Lee then. She sighed, rolled her neck. "When does he start?"

"Any minute!" Gai shouted, freaking out some of the eating customers, and scaring the person who had just walked in so much that he turned and walked back out without ordering.

Hinata's shoulders slumped. He was just an embarrassing boss, she told herself. At least he wasn't an embarrassing father. "What's his name?" she asked, trying to get his attention so that he'd stop yelling.

"Neji-san!" It didn't work. He just decided to yell the name too.

Hinata blinked, feeling like the name was very familiar to her, but she couldn't really put her finger on why. Shrugging, she sipped her coffee, closing her eyes and momentarily forgetting she was at work.

"_Neji-san!_" she sputtered and choked on her coffee. When the _hell _had Gai gotten close enough that it hurt her ears to hear his always-loud voice?

She covered her mouth, coughing into it so that whoever this new guy was, he didn't think this place was totally gross. Looking up, she stared into a pair of round white eyes that were opening and closing with the slow easy blinking that came with confidence.

If there had been any coffee left, it would have splattered all over the floor since the cup she was holding slipped out of her hand in her surprise.

So _that _was why his name had seemed so familiar. This was Hyuuga Neji. She stared at him and he stared back. This was her cousin. She hadn't seen him since they were three or four, not since their families – their fathers were twin brothers – had had a falling-out over the title and ownership of the company.

"Neji-nii-san!" she exclaimed, picking up the name she'd called him when they were young, then blushed. "I didn't … I didn't know … when did you get back in town?"

"We moved back. I _guess _Hiashi-sama called my father – something about making up." Neji looked around the restaurant with only mild interest and a slight distaste tainted his flawless face. He looked good. His face was long and well-angled, reminding her of a Roman statue, his opaque eyes were surrounded by soft, dark lashes that seemed to compliment him instead of making him look effeminate. His raven hair fell down his back and was tied near the end, loose strands that didn't seem to fit into the ponytail hanging in his face.

Gai was looking from one to the other, and he slapped a hand to his face. "How did I not see it before, Hinata-chan! You're _related!_"

Hinata blushed, looking at her feet. "Neji-ni …." She cut herself off, blinking. "Neji-san," she gazed up at him, forcing a smile. "It's good to see you again. I'm glad your family came back."

Gai, who had just looked at the clock, gasped melodramatically and set his hands on her shoulders, surprising her. "Hinata-chan! Your shift ended five minutes ago! Go! Now! Go do activities filled with the beauty of youthfulness!"

Hinata rolled her eyes, going to the backroom to punch out, and shuffled quietly from the restaurant. Sitting in her car, she leaned back against the headrest, and stared at the ceiling. _What the hell? _Why had Neji's family come back? She didn't know if she was ready to deal with him. He'd been her best friend at one point.

Besides that, he had always been better than her at everything, even at such a young age. He had repeatedly outshined her, and her father always looked upon her with that disappointment in his eyes, killing her inside. Neji hadn't even realized that he had that effect on her – probably because she had never told him. She had never told him that every time he beat her, she died a little.

While she continued to adore him, he had decided to let their families come between them and wouldn't speak to her anymore, not even to say "Goodbye" when his family left.

She sighed, starting her car. He'd been her first heartbreak. Pulling out, she started down the road, driving slowly since she was alone, thinking. She hadn't ever really forgiven him for hurting her feelings. Maybe she could now. At least she didn't have to think about it for a while. She didn't have to work again until Saturday, and she didn't even know if she worked with him then.

Neji had said that his family had come back to make amends. Did that mean she would be seeing a lot of him? Would he be coming to their house often?

She found herself hoping not.

0

Neji frowned, watching through the window as a distinctly Hyuuga car left the parking lot. How many years had it been? Thirteen years? Seeing her again felt strange, meeting her eyes was like a nauseating wave of nostalgia and guilt for leaving her. They had been best friends after all – the only playmate the other had. They should have grown up together, but his pride, even so young, kept him from admitting that to himself – and he knew that even now, it would keep him from becoming close to her again.

When they had met, the first thing he told her was that she was cute – and she had been. He wondered vaguely who had given her permission to become beautiful.

0

Hinata lifted her head at the childish shrieks echoing from the back of the room. A small girl was pointing excitedly out the window, bouncing in her booster seat. She smiled for a moment, before glancing out the window herself, curious. Her mood took a turn for the worse, and she was sure the woman she was taking an order from could see the dark cloud forming about her head.

And she had decided to walk to work today. Glancing at the clock, her mood lightened just a bit again, the black clouds above her head going grey. It was seven o'clock. Three-quarters of her shift was over. She would get to leave in sixty minutes. Humming slightly, a little bit more bounce in her step, she put the ticket in the window between the counter and the kitchen, leaning in and singing, "_Order!_" to Kurenai, who just gave her a look.

Stepping back, Hinata bumped into someone. "Whoops," she said, turning, "sorry, I didn't -." She cut off when she realized who she was talking to, and then continued quietly, "Sorry, Neji-san."

He blinked round white eyes at her, then shrugged, continuing into the backroom with a bucket full of dirty dishes he would be washing.

He was nothing short of cold to her. She understood that he was probably a little bitter – if his father had been chosen, he would eventually be CEO of one of the biggest corporations in the country. And of course, he would be a much more efficient leader, considering his talents and his intelligence. She would always dim in comparison. _Maybe I'll just give the title off to him when I receive it_, she thought, listening with one ear to a man's order. _It would make more sense, and my father really wouldn't have any say in it, since he'll be dead when I inherit it. _

0

Her hour was up. She bounced out the back door, calling a goodbye to Kiba, who was the last person she saw on her way out, and then stopped dead in her tracks, remembering why she had been gloomy earlier.

It was snowing. And she had five blocks to walk. She silently cursed herself for wanting to use the walk to work to stay in shape, even though she was naturally slim. Shoving her hands in the pockets of her coat, she hunched her shoulders against the driving snow, walking as quickly as she could. About a block and a half into the walk, she was wishing she had poured herself some cocoa before she left the diner, and a car pulled up beside her, slowing to her speed. The tinted window rolled down. "Do you need a ride, Hinata-sama?"

She stopped for a moment and leaned to the level of the window, blinking the snow out of her eyes so that she could see who was talking to her. When she did, she stood back up and started walking again. "No. Thank you though. I'll walk."

"You'll freeze." Neji stepped lightly on the accelerator, going a mile an hour up the street beside her. "Hinata-sama, I know you hate me, but let me give you a ride."

She halted. "That isn't fair." She said quietly. "_You _were the one that didn't like me anymore after our parents started fighting. _You _hurt _my _feelings. It wasn't the other way." She stood shivering for a moment, waiting for Neji to reply.

"Then let me make it up to you." He offered quietly. "Let me give you a ride."

Hinata hesitated, hopping from one sneakered foot to the other. "Well … alright." Opening the door, she slid into the front seat and pulled the seatbelt around her small form, buckling it. Her hands fidgeted nervously in her lap. "Th-thank you." Her cheeks tinged pink. "I a-appreciate the ride."

Neji shrugged, pressing the accelerator harder, so that they sped up to thirty-five. There was silence in the car, except for the soft hum of the engine. He watched the road, she watched the houses go by in a blur of color, and she winced at how dull they were. They reminded her of herself and she hated that.

The car stopped, engine rumbling, and she heard Neji shifting the gear into park and settling his hands on his thighs. She sighed, looking up at the Hyuuga manor – a monster of a house that she would be hers someday. She had always detested it. "Th-thank you." She murmured, opening the door.

Neji grabbed her wrist and she sat back, looking at her hand on the door handle as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

"Hinata-sama -"

"Please don't call me that." Hinata requested quietly. "I never liked being called that."

Neji was quiet and took his hand off her arm, setting it to putting his car into reverse.

"Neji-san?" He looked over at her. Feeling his eyes on her, she continued, "We aren't family anymore, you know." She turned to him, a sad smile on her face. "So let's work together, and maybe someday, we can be friends again."

Neji just said, "Have a good night" and she got out and closed the door.


	2. A Little Out Of Focus Here

Note from the Author: -- Sadly, I think everything that happens to Hinata while she's working … has happened to me. Le sigh.

… _a little out of focus here ..._

It was pouring. It reminded Hinata a little of the way the sun glinted off of wind chimes as they clinked together on summer afternoons. Only now, it was early January, there was no sun, and the rain sparkled with its own special light, and played its own soprano song.

She tied her running shoes tight, making sure no water would find its way to her socks.

It had been snowing not three days ago, but it had melted away with the fifty-degree weather now present. And now, as if the clouds insisted upon letting go of their precipitation, the raindrops came down like miniature grenades, destroying tiny pebble villages along the pavement.

She stepped out onto the porch, arching her back into a stretch, so that her fingers brushed against the front door. She enjoyed running in the rain. Her father told her on a regular basis that she was going to get either hypothermia or pneumonia this way, but she didn't care. No one was around to stare at her when it rained – no one was outside enjoying the beautiful weather, because there was no beautiful weather to enjoy.

Jogging down the steps, she started down the walk and turned left out of the cul de sac she lived in, and then right down the street that ran through her entire subdivision. Five or six more cul de sacs branched off of this road, and two other roads. Hinata's route was to take the main street all the way through until she reached the second of the two branch streets, then she would turn right on it. That street eventually curved back to meet the other branch street, and the route would take her straight back to her own cul de sac.

It was a long run, but not so long that she was physically unable to run it, and long enough to give her a work-out, and enough time to contemplate whatever she needed to, without overanalyzing it.

Her subject for today was Neji. She had worked with him three times now, and he was curt and cold.

As her feet smacked against the wet pavement, her arms pumping at her sides, her mind wandered away, visiting memories that she hadn't known she'd held onto, and she didn't realize she picked up her pace.

When they were young, he had been a very sweet boy, who smiled often, and had always taken care of her when she needed to be taken care of. He loved her in the way a little boy can love a little girl, in the way he was taught to love by the people in his life, not by his actual understanding of the idea of love. When Hinata thought about it, she knew that she felt for him as she had always imagined the Disney princesses had felt for their princes Charming. She was the damsel-in-distress, and he had been her knight in shining armor.

Hinata slowed to a halt, breathing heavily, noting that she was standing in front of her house again. She blinked up at the three-story building, and trudged up the walk, intent on curling up on the couch in front of the television until she had to go to work.

0

Neji fumed his way up to the front door of the Hyuuga manor, his umbrella close above his head. He had no interest in spending time with Hinata. His father was a psycho, that was the only explanation he could come up with.

He certainly didn't hate her. When they were young, they had been always together, but while his parents were ready to simply forgive her family, he wasn't. He didn't think they had _earned _his forgiveness just yet. And he wasn't going to give it to them – even if it meant hurting Hinata again.

Ringing the doorbell, he let down the umbrella and tightened the tie on his ponytail, straightening so that it fell smoothly down his back.

Hiashi answered, and Neji bowed. "Hiashi-sama." He greeted him curtly. "I'm here -."

"I know." His uncle cut him off, unsmiling. "Your father called."

Neji resisted the urge to scowl. So his father hadn't thought he would actually go. He called Hiashi so that everyone was expecting him to be there.

When he moved aside, Neji stepped into the building, slipping his shoes off so that he wouldn't track the mud through the house.

"She's on the second floor in the den." Hiashi pointed out the staircase. "Go right up."

Neji nodded and started slowly up the stairs, stripping off his raincoat on the way.

0

Hinata fell onto the couch, completely worn-out. She hadn't been running in a while, and it had really taken its toll. Laying her head down on the cushion, she closed her eyes, feeling the thrum of music running through her. Her sister, Hanabi, was apparently blaring her music from the basement. She could feel the beats all the way up here. Letting go, she let the lullaby take her away.

0

Neji stopped at the door to the den, taking a deep breath, and opened it. He blinked at the sight he found. Hinata was curled up on the couch, wrapped in an oversized sweatshirt and shorts. Her dark hair was darker with dampness, and a few strands fell across her closed eyes. One small pale hand was pressed against her mouth, as if she had been chewing on a fingernail or blowing on it to warm it when she fell asleep.

Neji's lips twitched in what he thought might have been a smile, and something unfamiliar rang through him. Pulling the afghan off the back of the couch, he laid it over her. Moving to the television, which was blaring some awful MTV reality show, he hit the power button and, looking at Hinata one last time where she lay unmoving, breath coming in soft whispers of sleep, he left the room, closing the door behind him.

0

"Hinata-nee-chan!"

She poked her head out the bathroom door, lifting her eyebrows to acknowledge that she'd heard her sister, as her mouth was currently filled with toothpaste.

Hanabi skipped up the hall toward her. "What was Neji-nii-san like last night?"

Hinata blinked, letting her right eyebrow drop as if asking, "What?" while vigorously scrubbing at her teeth, checking the clock to see how much of the two minutes was gone.

Hanabi sighed. "You hung out with him last night, didn't you? I saw him leaving."

Hinata tilted her head back and forth, counting down the last ten seconds, then spit the toothpaste in the sink. "I didn't see him last night." She replied, throwing some water into the back of her mouth and spitting that out too. "Are you sure it was him?"

Hanabi leaned against the doorframe, crossing her arms over her chest. She was ten, but most of her mannerisms spoke of more years. "Well, yeah. He was coming down from the second floor when I saw him. I figured he'd been in the den with you. I went up to talk to you and you were conked out on the couch – I figured you'd fallen asleep on him, so he'd left."

Hinata's mouth dropped open a little. So _he _had put the blanket on her last night. "I … must have been sleeping when he went up."

Hanabi sighed again, shrugging. "That's too bad. And vaguely disappointing. I was hoping for _some _detail. He's so quiet. I want to know what he's thinking."

Hinata rolled her eyes, edging past her sister out of the bathroom. "Then why don't you ask him?"

Hanabi followed her down the hall. "I would, if he'd stop long enough to talk to me."

Hinata smiled, slipping her feet into her tennis shoes, and tapping her toes on floor, letting the tongues of the sneakers adjust themselves. "Maybe I'll tell him you want to talk to him when I see him today."

"You're going to see him today?"

"Well, yeah – I work with him."

Hanabi's mouth dropped open. "I didn't know that!"

Hinata ruffled her sister's hair, earning her a scowl. "That's because you don't pay attention. Later." She stepped outside, and ran down the steps and to her car (She was _not _about to make the same mistake twice).

It was a beautiful Sunday – school started back up from winter break tomorrow, and somewhere she cursed Gai for scheduling her on her last day of freedom until spring break.

Sliding into the driver's seat, she shrugged mentally. Not like she had much of a social life anyway. She was too shy to talk to most people, and ended up stumbling over her words and blushing. She didn't know_ how _she pulled off being a waitress.

But Neji had come to see her. She didn't know how she felt about that. It was probably lucky that she didn't actually spend time with him. _I would have been awkward and made a fool of myself anyway. _

0

"Hinata!"

She blinked, and looked up from the ticket she was writing, and blushed. "I'll be right with you." She said quietly, moving to the register to ring up this customer.

Finished, she moved back to the counter, smiling shyly. "Hi, Naruto-kun."

Uzumaki Naruto was one of those bubbly, bright, loud people that one either hates or adores. Hinata adored him, mostly because she wished she was more like him, and wanted nothing more than for him to notice her as more than a friend.

"What can I get for you?" she asked softly, averting her eyes.

"As in food?" Naruto blinked up at the menu with big blue eyes, leaning on his arms against the counter. "How about some cheese fries?"

"Alright. Anything else?"

"How about a date?"

Hinata's head shot up and she blinked at him. "Ex-excuse me?"

Naruto grinned, running his fingers through his spiky blonde hair. "Do you want to go out – like Friday, or something?"

Hinata's face was very warm all of a sudden, and she spun around to put the ticket in the window, hiding it.

0

Neji scowled from where he was rolling silverware on the back counter, listening to their conversation. For some reason, the overprotective cousin just switched into gear, and it was really bugging him.

"Sure, Naruto-kun!"

He blinked in surprise and couldn't help throwing a glance over to her as she replied to him.

"Great!" Naruto's voice was loud and more than a little obnoxious. "How about seven? I'll pick you up."

Hinata nodded vivaciously, smiling so wide _Neji's _mouth hurt looking at her.

He sighed, his shoulders slumped, and he glared down at the knives before him in the most dejected of manners. Why was he so upset about this? Was he actually _jealous _that Hinata was going on a date with someone? Shouldn't he – he didn't know – be happy for her or something?

He stabbed at a napkin with a fork, then threw the napkin away and started over.


	3. And The Rain Belongs To All The Tender

Note from the Author: Yes. Hizashi is still alive in this story. Deal.

… _and the rain belongs to all the tender songs …_

Hinata hadn't been worried about being forced into Neji's company at school. He was a senior, while she was a sophomore, and they would have no classes together – especially since their electives were different.

She had been sitting at the kitchen table the night before, waiting impatiently as her father spoke to his over the phone, concerning schedules and extra-curricular.

To her relief, she had only her lunch period with him, and she hoped – prayed – that with his undeniable wit and charm (even in her thoughts, this idea was dripping with sarcasm), he would be able to find friends so that he wouldn't have to sit with her.

Unfortunately, the friends he had found were Rock Lee and TenTen – both of whom sat at her table.

She sent inconspicuous death glares (that would have made Uchiha Sasuke, King of Scowls, proud) in their direction as they made their way through the masses of hungry teenagers, but neither of them noticed. TenTen was practically hanging off of Hinata's cousin, flirting madly, and Lee seemed intent to win a debate against him – and was failing miserably.

The two fell onto the bench opposite Hinata, trying to pull the resisting Neji, who seemed to instinctively know that sitting between them would be dangerous, down with them. He sent a pleading glance in her direction and, though she didn't – _really didn't _– want to sit next to him, she slid over, pulling the book she was reading and her lunch with her, leaving just enough room for him to sit at the end of the table beside her.

Neji pulled out of his friends' grasps, and slumped onto the bench beside her, radiating relief and gratitude. His thigh pressed unavoidably against hers in the small space she'd given him, and she blushed, hiding her face inside her book, and tried to subtly scoot farther from him.

"_Hinata!_"

Her attempts halted, she squeaked in surprise as arms wrapped around her middle, squeezing her tightly into a hug. "H-hi, Naruto-kun!" she gasped out and he let her go, plopping down next to her, leaning back against the table.

"Hinata-chan, I'm taking you to dinner." The blonde boy beamed.

Her face darkened with blush. "D-dinner?" It was a _dinner _date? That made things harder. "Wh-where?"

Naruto winked. "Surprise." With that, he pushed himself away from the table, letting Kiba have his usual seat beside Hinata as Shino sat down across from him, moving to sit next to his best friend, Uchiha Sasuke, whose arm draped over the shoulders of Haruno Sakura, who waved at Hinata, smiling joyously.

Hinata blinked, managing a wave back. _Since when were Sakura and Sasuke together? _Shrugging mentally, she bit down into her sandwich and noted the atmosphere change at the table. Looking up, she found Lee's shoulders sloped forward, the epitome of dejection, and TenTen was patting his bobbed hair in comfort.

_Oh. _So Sasuke and Sakura _were _a new development. Poor Lee. Hinata's heart went out to him. He'd been head-over-heels for Sakura since sixth grade. Hinata was a little confused though. Sasuke had never shown interest in Sakura before, despite her persistent – and almost pathetic – attempts to get him to notice her. What had happened? Her white eyes trailed from the confusing couple to Naruto, who had decided to sit across from them instead of next to him, and was now staring darkly at his pizza. Her eyebrows furrowed. He looked like he was _thinking. _She liked him, but she had to admit - that was unusual.

"Hey, look. More new kids." TenTen was trying desperately to get Lee's mind somewhere else. "So Neji's not the only one."

Neji missed the comment, and the fact that everyone's heads turned to seek out these new faces, as he was reading Hinata's book over her shoulder, avoiding social interaction.

Rock Lee's eyes flicked up at the newcomers, then back to his tray, then his head shot up and his mouth dropped open. "That's-that's …" he trailed off, as if he didn't want anyone to know he knew who it was.

TenTen nudged him. "Come on. Who is it?"

"His name is Gaara." Lee murmured, face blanched. "In seventh grade, I challenged him to a fight … and I lost." His cheeks pinked slightly. "He was so shrimpy – it was embarrassing, and he didn't really have any friends. He moved away shortly after."

Hinata studied this boy from Lee's past. His hair was messy and an attractive red, and his sky blue eyes were painted into seclusion from his fair face with thick black eyeliner. On his left side, a girl with spiky blonde pigtails spoke to a taller boy with his hood pulled over his head, who stood on Gaara's right. Hinata didn't know why, but she was positive the three were siblings.

Gaara, who seemed the youngest but also the leader, cast his eyes around the cafeteria, and eventually settled on Lee. Slowly, moving as if time itself would stop to wait for him if he wanted it to, he came toward them, walking with the easy stride of command. He stopped right before Hinata, who looked up at him from her seat, realizing vaguely that she was taller than him.

Beside her, Neji, who had in fact heard what was going on, despite his "I'm-not-here" demeanor, shifted in his seat, ready to defend his cousin if this kid made any sudden moves.

But the blonde girl gave a sheepish smile, apparently the voice of the group, if Gaara was the chief. "Can we sit here?"

The occupants of the table stared around at each other, and gave a semi-collective nod.

The older of the two boys gave a lop-sided grin. "Thanks. We're not to good at the whole 'Meet-new-people' thing."

The tension broke with a light laugh and bodies squished together to find room for the initiated-into-the-group-as-of-this-moment students, and Hinata found herself pressed from shoulder to knee against Neji again.

The older boy's name was Kankurou and the girl Temari. Hinata had been right – the three _were _siblings.

Gaara didn't speak for a long time, and when he did, it was to say, "Lee?"

The boy in spandex looked up, half-expecting an insult. "Yes?"

"No hard feelings?" Gaara offered his hand across the table.

Lee's face broke into a grin, and he shook it. "Sure."

Over the next few days, that awkward feeling of not knowing what to say to the four new members of the table began to fade, and they settled into a routine, and respective roles and seating arrangements. Hinata was slowly becoming accustomed to Neji's near-silent company, and often lay her book on her the table before both of them, as he now always sat on the end beside her, and they competed to see who could finish reading and turn the page faster. Gaara, who had decided he liked Lee best out of the group, sat across from Neji, and TenTen sat on Lee's other side, with Temari beside her and Shino beside Temari, Kankurou next to Kiba next to Hinata. Naruto often stopped over at their end of the table with an update on what they would be doing Friday evening. It now consisted of dinner, a movie, and late-night bowling.

Hinata was sure he was just trying to make her struggle with what to wear.

0

Hinata closed the front door behind her, forehead against it for a moment, eyes closed.

It had been Saturday for thirty-five minutes exactly by the time she put her hand on the doorknob of her home.

"_So?_" She jumped as Hanabi popped up beside her, clad in pajamas and feet bare. "How did it go?"

Hinata turned, eyes downcast, to press her back against the wood, fingers fiddling with the straps of her purse as it bounced against her thighs before falling still. Her fingers found the doorknob, cold and unforgiving, and she shivered. "It turns out," she said softly, "that it wasn't me he wanted after all."

"_N-Naruto-kun? Are …why are we following Sasuke-kun?"_

Hinata's stomach lurched. If she'd had a chance to eat anything, it might have come up now.

Hanabi stared at her, eyes wide in concern.

"_Come on."_

"_But Naruto-kun … the food just came. I-I thought -."_

"_Just shut up, Hinata!"_

Hanabi took her sister's hand, led her upstairs to the den. "Stay right here, Hinata-nee-chan." She ordered quietly and left the room.

Even if she had wanted to, Hinata didn't think the humiliation would let her legs carry her anywhere.

_She hurried through the bowling alley, Sakura on her heels, toward the bathrooms, where both their dates had disappeared._

_In unison they froze. Hinata felt like she was on the edge of paralysis._

She let her head fall on her knees.

_Lips mashed together._

She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the images away.

_Whispers, whimpers, confessions – "I love you."_

Her hands curled around her ears, palms pressing hard against them, drowning out the words in her head with the drumming of her blood.

_Running. Running as fast as she can in heels. Running all the way home._

A soft sound like defeat passed her lips.

_Used. Used. Used. **Used.**_

She wanted to scream, but her voice box seemed to have run out of batteries.

"Hinata-nee-chan?"

A warm hardness nudged her hand, and she shakily slid her fingers into the handle of the mug. "Thank you." She smiled softly for her sister, eyes on the carpet.

Hanabi had brought a pair of pajamas and some pillows and blankets. Hinata felt vaguely like _she _were the younger sister here, after her first heartbreak.

Watching late night cartoons in the darkened den, her head against her sister's, eyes closing, she whispered, "Remind me to be this kind to you," before she fell asleep.

0

Sakura stood clumsily in the doorway of the cafeteria, scanning the faces, recognizing all, but only knowing some.

"Sakura-chan?"

The pink-haired girl spun around and offered a pathetically forced smile. "Hi, Hinata-chan. Neji-san."

Hinata gave her a return smile full of sympathy and understanding. Neji's eyebrow lifted as he looked from one silent girl to the other, and eventually he shrugged and headed for the table, figuring it had something to do with simply being a girl.

"Do … do you want to sit with us?" Hinata asked shyly, watching her cousin walk away and dying to follow him. "I mean … I-I know we sit at the same table anyway but -"

"I'd like that, Hinata-chan." Sakura took her friend's hand and led her to the table, where Kiba and Kankurou got pushed down again so that Sakura and Hinata could sit together.

The air stank with thick awkwardness. Everyone was wondering what had happened, and they crept around in forced circles of conversation, often trailing off into nothingness.

Finally, just as everyone else's nerves were fraying, Temari's broke. She stood on one foot, her other shin on her seat, and cast her gaze over the table as a queen might her subjects.

Recently, three more people – Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chouji – had joined the Naruto, Sasuke, and formerly Sakura end of the table.

Temari's eyebrows furrowed, the deep blue of her irises darkening with frustration. "Look," she began, "I'm not going to pretend to know what happened Friday night" – four pairs of eyes stared into their own respective laps – "but I'm not going to let this table be divided. I know I'm new here, I know that I haven't know you guys forever the way you've known each other, but I consider you all my friends. Hinata," she turned to the unofficial leader of one side of the table (Why shy little Hinata? She'd never know), "you were the first people to accept us here. And Shikamaru," she turned to the dark-haired boy that sat on her left, "you're my boyfriend" – deep masculine blush – "and you hang out with people I _don't _hang out with. Well, frankly," her hands found her hips, bangles jangling on her arms, "this if fucking ridiculous. Why are we separated like the fucking Berlin Wall's between us. News flash, kids – _it got knocked down!_" Her improvised speech (which Hinata thought deserved applause) concluded, she plopped onto the bench, Shikamaru sliding an arm around her waist and pulling her close.

It was like Temari's words were the hammer that broke the ice. Ino scooted closer to Kankurou, laying her chin in her palm flirtingly, and asking about the band featured in a photograph on the cover of his notebook. Naruto leaned forward so that he could see Kiba from around the two and offered a comment, joking about history class happenings. Shikamaru, his arm draped across the shoulders of a very satisfied Temari, spent about fifteen minutes arguing playfully with Sasuke about whether the Uchiha qualified as an emo kid.

Meanwhile, since semi-normalcy had re-descended on their little group (when Hinata thought about it, it was actually a rather large group – fifteen of them at one table), Gaara and Lee had once again taken up their quest to draw colorful and original doodles on every page of Lee's French book, TenTen giving suggestions at random intervals of conversations with Temari. Hinata and Neji were, as always, silent, identical white eyes following the same lines of the same book, their reverie only broken by the battle-of-the-page-turning, which Hinata always lost, because she gave up. It wasn't like it mattered – it was her book; she could go back and read it later.


	4. That I Might Not Ever Sing To You

… _that I might not ever sing to you._

"Young lady, you shortchanged me!" the woman's yellow shirt hit Hinata's tired eyes like sunrise for a vampire. She was worn-out, felt a little dead, and more than a little down on herself, but she had counted this woman's change three times now. She knew it was right. Before she could open her mouth to say so yet again, Neji had stepped in front of her.

"Excuse me, ma'am." He said softly. "But your change is correct. If you'd like, I can print a receipt for you and you can see it for yourself."

Hinata knew it made her seem like a younger sibling new on the job, but she scooted behind him, clutching his shirt sleeve and peeking around his arm.

The woman faltered when faced with his self-assurance and strode haughtily from the diner.

That's when Hinata first realized she was in love with him.

He still acted as her knight-in-shining-armor, and the way he moved, the way he spoke, told of a confidence she knew she'd never have and that she desperately wanted. She wished desperately that she could impress him – had been trying to since he came back, to no avail. All she wanted was his attention; she craved it – soaked it in when it was given to her. Now she realized why. She was falling hard.

He had stepped in to save her in more ways than one.

0

Neji knew he was attracted to his cousin when she tucked herself into his shadow, her face hidden against his arm. She was child-like, innocent – but her touch sent a jolt through his body, leaving him craving more – more of her attention, her affection. He yearned for her shy smile and the way her cheeks glowed with blush when she was embarrassed or pleased.

He wanted to protect her, to be her savior.

0

Hinata sighed, settling into the passenger's seat of Neji's car. He was staying for the evening at the Hyuuga manor, and they had decided to carpool.

It had been less than a week since her date had run to the bathroom of the bowling alley to make out with another guy, but she found herself nearly over it already.

She glanced at Neji, who was warming his hands at the car vents. He didn't know what had happened – she wasn't planning on telling him – and she had sworn Hanabi to secrecy.

Last thing she needed was to be humiliated in front of the boy she found herself adoring all over again. She wanted this to stay perfect, for as long as it could.

Neji looked at her, smiling slightly when he found her gazing at him, and she smiled back.

0

Hinata's forehead was pressed against the glass pane of her window. Her eyes felt dry, like she had cried too much, but in reality, she hadn't cried at all. She also hadn't slept at all, which might be the reason for the discomfort.

She drew her knees closer to her chest, shivering a little. Her stomach howled with the need for food, but every time she tried to eat, it just came back up. So she sat on her window seat, sipping green tea – or hot chocolate, when her mother made it for her – and watching the clouds roll through the blue sky.

She had laughed at Shikamaru when he had said a few years ago that his favorite pastime was watching the clouds go by, but she was beginning to understand why he liked it so much. It wasn't much of use, and one would think that minds wandered when eyes watched the clouds. But they went away to nice places, where thoughts weren't dark, where dreams weren't nightmares.

She heard muffled voices outside her door, and turned her head slowly, feeling as if it would fall off her neck and roll away under her bed if she moved too quickly, and stared in that direction. If she listened closely, she could pick out words.

"…doctor said there's nothing … just psychological …"

"…hasn't left her room in a week … _is _wrong … pale … isn't eating …"

A knock.

"Hinata?"

She grimaced. Her father. The last thing she needed was for him to tell her to get over whatever was wrong with her and move on with her life.

Her mouth opened, but she couldn't seem to force any sound out. And it didn't matter, because he came in anyway.

He looked partially concerned, but mostly annoyed. "Hinata, what's wrong?" He sat down on the edge of the seat, laying a hand on her knee.

She shrank back, pushing his hand away in one sweeping motion, and didn't respond.

"Hinata. You have to tell us what's wrong." His shunned hand fell in his lap. "Your mother's worried. You haven't been to school in a week. What happened on Saturday?"

She shuddered.

_Whimpers, pleading._

"Hinata!" he gripped her chin, turned her head to look at him. "Tell me what happened."

"_S-stop, please. D-don't -."_

"_Be quiet, honey. It'll be over soon. Hell, you might even like it."_

Hinata tried to wrench out of his grasp. "Don't touch me!" she screamed, curling up, shaking uncontrollably. "I'm disgusting! Leave me alone!"

Taken aback, he jumped up, called her mother, tried to put his arms around her. "Hinata, please -."

"Don't touch me!" she was sobbing now, and tears fell against glass. She wanted to break it, to rip herself open with the shards.

"Somebody call an ambulance!" her father shouted, wrapping his arms around her, pinning her own to her sides so that she couldn't thrash.

She fell against his grip, weeping, her dark hair falling into her face, sticking to the saltiness of her cheeks. "Please," she whispered, begged, "please don't touch me."


	5. Don't Be Afraid Of Anything That Faces

Note from the Author: o.O I apologize for this story. I'm having way too much fun writing it.

_Don't be afraid of anything that faces you today._

"I wonder where Hinata's been." Kiba offered suddenly into a near-silence that the group had fallen into.

Neji, whose forehead had fallen against the table, bored out of his mind without his cousin and going a little crazy because all of these people were so damn _loud,_ opened his eyes. He wondered the same thing. He knew that the night before, Hiashi had called Hizashi, telling him something that sounded important. But when Neji had asked his father what was going on, he was told that there had been a problem at the Hyuuga manor and that Hiashi was taking Hinata to the hospital. He hadn't been offered any more than that – what was wrong, what had happened – and he didn't push his luck by asking. He was panicking inside but figured that when it was time, he would be told.

It took him a minute to realize that the table was completely quiet now, and everyone was staring at him expectantly. He lifted his head, glared around at them all. "_What?_"

"Well," Sakura started hesitantly, "you're her cousin. Don't you know, like, if anything happened?"

"Yes." He said shortly.

Twelve pairs of eyes blinked at him (Sasuke was currently ignoring the general public.)

"_Well?_" Naruto burst from the patient majority, and everyone glared at him.

"It's none of your business." Neji gave him a look that, if Sasuke cared at all about what was going on and had been looking at him, would have made him jealous. The Hyuuga had yet to forgive Naruto for what he'd done to Hinata (Sakura had finally told him the whole story), and didn't plan on telling him _anything _about what was going on with her.

"Come on, Neji-kun," Lee persisted, leaning forward toward him. "We're worried about her. You're her family, but we care about Hinata-san too. Why won't you tell us?"

Neji's arms dropped into his lap, and he looked down at his hands. "Hinata-sama," he started slowly, then changed directions, admitting, "I'm not completely sure what's happening with her. Something … it was bad. I just know that. She's in the hospital."

There was a collective gasp and he tried to ignore it.

"Is she alright?" Sakura asked stupidly, green eyes wide.

"Physically, yes." Neji resisted the urge to throw something at the inquisitive sophomore. "But … she's an emotional wreck. I'm going to try to get in to see her today."

Kiba gave a lopsided grin and, hoping to lighten the mood, said, "Good. Tell her I'm tired of covering for her at work."

Neji gave a slight, sad smile. "No, I'm not going to tell her that. It'd make her feel awful."

Kiba's mirth faded. "Why?"

"Come on, Kiba," Shino offered a few-and-far-between word in the conversation. "You and I have been best friends with her since we were twelve. We know her better than anyone. A joke like that would make her feel like –"

"- everything was her fault." Kiba finished, sober, and his shoulders slumped.

Ten minutes passed in silence. Appetites had diminished, and thirteen pairs of eyes (Sasuke was still completely unaware of anything that was going on) stared down at their food, nausea growing.

Eventually, Neji couldn't take it anymore. He stood up, shoved his hands in his pockets, and proceeded to hurry from the cafeteria.

He made his way to the restroom, where he fished his cell phone from his pocket, pulling Hinata's number from his contacts list.

Hiashi picked up. Neji scowled. "Hiashi-sama? How is Hinata-sama?"

Hesitance. "I'm sorry, Neji. I know you want to see her, but …" Pause. "She's – she won't let men near her."

Neji blinked. "Why?"

Ten-second silence. "We think she was raped." Complete silence. "Neji. Neji? Are you there?"

He wasn't. He had dropped the phone in the sink and was staring at his mortified reflection in the mirror.

0

It was raining. Had been for days. The hospital room was white, contrasting with the grey beauty of the outside. Hinata's hollow eyes were turned toward that space between the curtains. Her hand flexed and clenched at her side, and she winced at the feeling of the IV needle shifting in her vein.

She wasn't sick, the doctors said; she was depressed.

She glanced at the garbage can, offered a thin smile. No plastic bag to suffocate in. They didn't want her to die. She wondered vaguely if it was because they valued life, or their jobs.

A knock.

Her head fell to the face the door.

Hanabi stood in the doorway, a bouquet of lilies in her arms, already in a vase (Hinata noticed the vase was plastic). She set them down gently on the nightstand, settled on the edge of her sister's hospital bed, nodded at them, said softly, "They're from Neji."

Hinata reached out, touched the velvet petal of one of the small white flowers, pretended it was Neji's hand, whispered, "Why didn't he bring them himself?"

Hanabi leaned back on her hands, stared at the white ceiling. "Father told him not to."

"Why?"

Her little sister's knowing opaque eyes rested on her face. "Because you flip out whenever a guy comes near you."

She said it so bluntly, so ten-year-old-esquely, that Hinata nearly remembered how to smile. "I'd like to see him." Her eyes downcast, voice resembling a broken music box.

Hanabi's child-like face broke into a grin. "I'm glad. He's going a little crazy, I think." She pulled the card from the flowers, flung it at her sister, who flinched. "Here. Read it."

Hinata picked it up gingerly between her forefinger and her thumb, like it was a treasure that would break, eyebrow lifted in Hanabi's direction. "Is it safe to assume you've already read it?"

Grin. "Yee-ep."

Hinata smiled, opened it. _You might not know this, but I'm with you all the way. _No "I love you." It wasn't even signed. But she thought she would have been disappointed if it had been so unoriginal. A tear fell on the little card, and she folded it, placing it carefully on the nightstand so her weeping wouldn't ruin it.

Hanabi leaned across her and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, hushing her.

"Please bring him." Hinata whispered, clinging to the comfort.

"I will." Hanabi offered gently. "Tomorrow. I promise."


	6. You Might Not Know This But I'm With You

_You might not know this but I'm with you all the way._

Neji had no idea what to say, how to act, anything. He couldn't afford to buy her more flowers, so he got her a teddy bear from the gift shop in the hospital instead, and was near strangling it in the elevator as he made his way up to the fourth floor.

When the bell dinged, informing him he'd arrived at his destination, his grip on the bear tightened a little, and he forced it to relax. He walked slowly down the white hallway that reeked of disinfectant, avoiding eye contact with any nurses, going straight to her room. The door stood ajar and he peeked around it, and found her staring at him, almost expectantly.

He forced a smile, slipping inside, leaving the door open just a crack behind him. He felt _shy. _It was so new for him, especially around this girl he'd known all his life. He offered her the teddy bear and a thin hand, an IV imbedded in it, grasped it, held it close.

She looked ill, like she hadn't eaten or slept in weeks. Neji was almost certain that both of the above were true. "Hinata-sama," he whispered, sinking into the chair beside her bed, "what happened to you?"

Hinata stared at him in a dim way, her thoughts far away.

_Hands, breasts, feet – pink from scorching water._

_Scrubbing._

"Hinata?" he brushed her hair from her face, she grabbed his wrist.

_Dirty. **Invaded.**_

_All over her. Forcing inside her._

_**Pain.**_

She blinked at his hand, which was shaking slightly in her grip. Slowly, timidly, she let her fingers slide up to touch his palm, then pressed her whole hand to his, marveling at how small she was compared to him. "You're so much bigger than me." She whispered out.

"I'm not going to hurt you." He started to lift his other hand.

"No."

He froze.

"Can we … can we stay like this for a while?" she laced her fingers with his. "Like this?"

Neji's arm fell, and his hand closed over hers, trying to force his warmth into her cold skin. "As long as you'd like."

0

Hinata's eyes were wide. "You're kidding."

Neji grinned, leaning lazily against his chair, arm slung over the back. "Nope."

She blinked incredulously. "You've _never _had a root beer float?"

"Never."

"That's … just not _normal._"

He laughed. "Come on. There has to be something common that you've never eaten."

She sat back against her pillow, thinking.

It had been almost two weeks since Neji had first come to visit her in the hospital. The doctors were stunned by the sudden progress she was making. She ate regularly, and laughed a lot, and even asked to see her father. They said she'd be able to go home in a few days.

She still wouldn't talk about what happened, and the only one who she even came close to telling was Neji. He didn't push her – he knew she'd tell him when she was ready – and he'd guess most of it anyway.

"I've got it!" She snapped her fingers. "I've never had a doughnut."

Neji's eyebrow lifted. "And you think _I'm _weird.

Hinata smiled brightly, tucking her hands between her thighs. "It must run in the family."

He laughed, and she stared at him. She didn't think she'd ever heard him laugh before. Neji radiated stoicism and sober silence – mirth didn't even seem to fit into his range of emotion. She soaked in his laughter, enjoying the clear ringing of it around the white room, closing her eyes and snuggling deep against her pillow. A weight settled on the edge of the bed, a warm breath was gentle on her cheek.

"Am I wearing you out?" Neji murmured, his hair brushing against her neck.

She opened her eyes just enough to glimpse his face, to see his hand held out before him. She placed her own against it, linking her fingers with his. "Thank you." She whispered.

"For?"

"For not making me be anything more than I am." Her eyes averted to the white sheet pooled around her waist. "For … being satisfied with this."

Neji reached out with a tentative hand – hesitant, questioning – and when she didn't flinch, let his fingertips brush against her face. "Hinata-sama," his voice was soft, almost timid, "I've never said it before, but … I love you." – warmth spreading in her chest – "I'm willing to wait for you to be ready for me."

A blush crept up her face under his opaque gaze; she suddenly felt very sleepy – content- and settled back again into her pillow, holding Neji's hand tightly against her stomach. "Neji-nii-san?"

"Hm?"

Her eyes started to close. "I … I love you too."

0

Additional Author Note: This chapter was partially inspired by a conversation I had with my friend Kat – who has never had a root beer float.


	7. If I Could Read The Lines That Find Your

_If I could read the lines that find your smile to hide behind …_

Something smelled nice.

Hinata made her was down the stairs to the kitchen, following the scent.

It was Monday morning. She'd been out of the hospital for three days, and today was her first day back in school. Her stomach fluttered with nervous excitement.

She paused in the doorway, blinking. "Neji-nii-san? What're you doing here?"

He gave her a beaming smile, and her eyes were still tired enough that it was a little blinding. "Morning. I brought you breakfast." He shook a white bag at her.

She stifled a yawn behind her hand, mumbling an "excuse me," and trudged over to the island counter, plopping onto a stool. Taking the bag from her cousin's outstretched hand, she opened it and sniffed at it, realized that this was where the smell that had drawn her from bed had originated.

"What is this?" she asked, pushing into the cushioning of napkins in the bag.

"Your first doughnut." Neji grinned as he watched her study the round pastry. "Try it."

After sniffing it again, she took a tentative bite. Warm sweet liquid exploded in her mouth and she almost choked in surprise.

Neji laughed, handing her a napkin. "It's a jelly-filled doughnut. Probably should've warned you." He stood and stretched, arching his graceful back, and Hinata couldn't help watching him – he was so beautiful. Catching her gaze, he gave her a slow easy smile and grabbed her hand. "Let's eat and walk, huh? We'll be late."

She stood, letting him lead her out of the house while slowly eating her doughnut. "But don't you have a car?"

"Yeah, but you walk to school everyday, and I want to walk with you."

She popped the last piece of the pastry into her mouth, hurrying to catch up, and matched his pace, her hold on his hand tight.

"Nervous?" Neji let his fingers, still entwined with hers, brush against her thigh.

She blushed slightly at the contact, but edged closer to him, smiling. "A little." She said quietly. "I miss everyone, but wh-what if they start asking abou-?"

"Don't worry. I told them that if anyone said anything, I'd – hey, what's wrong?"

Hinata had jerked to a halt, staring wide-eyed ahead of her. With a little sound that resembled a whimper, she ducked behind Neji, clinging to him. "That's _him._" She whispered hoarsely against his shirt.

Neji stiffened, easily picking out the silver-haired boy her fear was directed at. He vaguely recognized him as one of the delinquents from the nearby disciplinary school who hung around outside the public high school tormenting the students until teachers threatened to call the police.

"Hinata-sama?" At her small squeak of acknowledgement, he said, "Do you see Sakura and Kiba over there?" Another squeak. "I want you to go over to them."

She hurried to do as he said, and he approached Hinata's violator.

0

You _broke _his _nose?_"

Neji willfully resisted the urge to yell back. His father was usually pretty cool-tempered, but today he looked like his vein my pop in his forehead.

"What, Neji, could he have done, that could have been _so _bad?"

"_Your sister coming back for more? I told her she'd like it."_

Neji growled. "He _raped _Hinata-sama"

_Fist meets face – cartilage ripping, glass lenses shattering._

Hizashi pinched the bridge of his nose, stopping himself in his pacing. "How can you be sure of that?"

For the briefest instant, Neji felt like breaking his father's nose. "Hinata-sama _told _me! And _he _bragged about it to me. And what kind of sick freak brags about raping a girl to the girl's _brother?_"

"You're not her brother."

"I know that. But he thought I was." He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and sulking back against the couch. He knew he was currently acting about as mature as a two-year-old, but it seemed appropriate.

Hizashi sank into an armchair, rubbing his temples. He looked frazzled, and Neji would have laughed if he wasn't in such deep shit. "You know," – His father's voice was softer now – "if I had been in your position, I probably would have done the same thing" – Neji grinned – "_but _you got suspended for a week, so I'm going to have to punish you." – The grin died – "Grounded. Two weeks."

Neji blinked. "Just two weeks?"

Hizashi glared. "I'm not punishing you for hitting the guy – he's an asshole." Neji didn't think he'd ever heard him curse before. "I'm punishing you for doing it where you could get in trouble for it. Honestly. Do you know how long it's going to take you to make up all the work you're going to miss?"

Neji shrugged. "Eh. I'm at the top of my class."

Hizashi sighed, dropping his head. "Fine. Room. Now."

Neji hauled himself to his feet, trying to keep from smiling. No school for a week. Sweet.

0

Neji hadn't been lying when he'd promised no one would ask why she'd been gone. In fact, the first thing anybody said to Hinata when she sat down at the lunch table the next day was, "What _happened _yesterday?" from the very energetic, gossip-whore Ino.

Hinata just blinked around confusedly at the thirteen familiar faces, before managing out a "Huh?"

"Did Neji really kick Kabuto's ass?" Chouji asked, leaning across the table, slightly crushing his potato chips against him.

"Oh!" Hinata's face tinged pink. "Yes."

Lee's eyebrow shot up. "What had he done to deserve that?"

Hinata fiddled with a dog-eared corner of her book. "H-he was giving me a hard time, a-and Neji-nii-san di-didn't like it." She wasn't finding the book nearly distracting enough to keep their inquiring faces from her mind. "My father came to get me from the office, th-thought being at school w-would be too stressful." She wanted to run into the book and stay there. If Neji had felt half as alone without her as she did now, she owed him an apology for being out so long.

"What about Neji?" Shikamaru swirled his spoon around in the cafeteria pudding, eyeing it as if he wasn't quite sure he trusted it.

"He's suspended for a week." She said as nonchalantly as she could manage, though saying the words out loud sounded like a death sentence for them both. "Although the principal did say he'd 'done a public service bringing that kid's ego down a notch.'" She giggled slightly at the way everyone was gawking at her and pride for her cousin surged through her.

"Fuckin' bastard had it comin'." Naruto said from the other end of the table, his arm draped across Sasuke, who was leaning against his boyfriend.

"Yeah, can't tell you how many times that perv tried to grope me." Sakura put in.

That's when Hinata noticed the table's new seating arrangements. Kiba was beside her again, and Sakura was on Lee's left, beside TenTen. She blinked at the two for a second. "Sakura-chan? Why are you over there?"

Sakura turned a shade of pink that rivaled her hair. "Well Lee-san and I – we're _dating._" She said it in such a way that made it seem like she was on the edge of mocking it.

Hinata's mouth must have hit the floor – or at least the table. "Since _when?_"

"Well," Sakura distracted herself from looking at anyone by tracing the lines in the palm of Lee's left hand, "he asked me to a movie the second or third day you'd been gone, a-and I said yes." She threw a quick beaming smile in Hinata's direction before turning a fond one on Lee. "And it ended up being a lot of fun. So … yeah." She shrugged in this embarrassed, happy way that made Hinata envy her.

Temari and Shikamaru, Sasuke and Naruto – now Lee and Sakura? Hinata sighed inwardly, watching the three couples that were composed of her best friends interact affectionately with each other, and she vaguely wished she could do that with Neji. Her face heated a little from the thought and she buried her nose into her book before anyone noticed. She knew she could never do those things with him. They were family. It wasn't _normal. _She glanced over at Naruto who was nuzzling against a blushing Sasuke's neck, murmuring in his ear, and let a small smile play on her lips.

Then again, she really wouldn't call anyone here particularly ordinary. They were all … original characters.


	8. I Wonder What Encouragement I'd Find

_... a little out of focus here …_

Hinata yawned, trudging into the kitchen. School had depressed her. She wanted to see Neji and knew she couldn't – she'd ended up spending the three classes she had after lunch sulking.

"Hi, Mom." She murmured out, lifting a plastic bag onto the island.

Her mother looked up from her magazine, smiled. "Hey, hun. What do you have there?"

Hinata wrestled a tub of vanilla ice cream from the bag and holding it above her shoulder so her mother could see it, pulled open the freezer to put it away.

Just as she was leaning against the counter to talk to her mom, there was a crash from upstairs, accompanied by a yell, and she jumped up again.

"Is Hanabi home already?"

Her mother grimaced, probably at the realization that whatever mess was just made, _she _would have to clean it up. "No, it's Neji."

Hinata blinked. "Neji-nii-san's here? I thought he was grounded."

"He is." The elder Hyuuga sipped at a glass of iced tea, turning a page. "He's grounded here. There's no one at his house during the day to make sure he _stays _in the house. And since I'm home all day, I volunteered." She smiled at her daughter. "He sounds awfully bored. Why don't you go up and keep him company?"

Hinata spun back toward the freezer. "I have to make him something first."

"Why?"

She grinned, setting the ice cream on the counter. "Because he brought me breakfast yesterday."

0

Neji was _dying. _He had absolutely nothing to do. He had already alphabetized everything from Hinata's CDs – and separated them by genre – and Hanabi's dolls – first by brand, then by name. He had also taken it upon himself to clean the sliding glass door in the kitchen because the _one _speck had driven him completely crazy. Now he was sitting in an armchair in the second-floor den, throwing a tennis ball at the chair opposite him and praying that it would miss and break something so he'd have something to do in cleaning it up.

His wish had come true and he'd just finished lining up the china figurines on the shelf so that the missing one didn't look so conspicuous, and was settling back to playing catch with a recliner, when a hand slid over his eyes. He vaguely heard the ball thump against the cushion of the chair, but was preoccupied with the warm breath on his ear.

"I have a surprise for you." Hinata's sweet voice said, unaware that it was unendingly seductive. "But you have to keep your eyes closed. Promise?"

"Promise." Neji managed to whisper. The hand fell away and he could hear the rustle of fabric as she hurried around the chair to be in front of him.

"Open your mouth" came as a soft command, and he obeyed, not sure what to expect, considering it was shy Hinata. Something wet and cold and metal touched his tongue and he closed his lips around it. A spoon? Hinata took it away and he realized that the cold wetness was ice cream – vanilla, but it had a strange tanginess to it – strange, but not bad. His cousin giggled. "You can open your eyes." She was kneeling in front of him, holding a large glass out to him. "What do you think?"

He smiled, leaned forward to take it from her. "It's great." He took a huge spoonful of it, throwing it into his mouth. "What is it?" he asked around the huge glob of ice cream freezing his teeth.

She sat down on the couch, curling her legs under her. "Your first root beer float." She patted the seat beside her, smiling shyly.

Blinking in surprise at the invitation, he hopped to his feet and fell on the sofa beside her, tentatively laying his head in her lap. She tensed, then relaxed, and her fingers found their way into his hair, taking out the tie and stroking through it from root to end. It gave him this sleepy pleasant feeling that shivered through his body. It made him wanted to stay like that forever.

"Neji-nii-san?" her whispered breath was soft against his cheek.

He rolled onto his back so he could look at her face, reaching up to run a finger along her neck. "Yeah?"

She closed her eyes like she enjoyed his touch, but her brow furrowed like she was trying to concentrate on what she was saying. "Do you think this is wrong?" she cracked her white eyes open, studying his expression. "Is the way I love you wrong?"

He sat up, turning to her, trying to shake the warm feeling that had been running through him so that he could concentrate on what she'd asked, his dark hair tumbling over his shoulders. Taking her hand, he lifted her chin, looked her in the eye. "Do _you _think it is?"

She stared at him, a little overwhelmed by the question. _Did _she? Was that why she was asking him? Did she want him to be in agreement that they shouldn't be doing this – or to tell her he'd love her anyway? A little click went like a trigger in her heart, and she leaned toward him. "I don't want it to be." She whispered against his lips, closing her eyes.

He shifted, moved closer to her, made it a kiss – connected them – and somewhere between his cold mouth on hers, his hair brushing against her shoulders, his fingers nestled in her hairline at the nape of her neck, Hinata lost it a little. She pulled him close, they toppled into a heated pile of messy kisses onto the cushions of the couch. His tongue tasted like ice cream and she played her own against it, gasping into his mouth when she felt his warm hand against the cup of her bra.

She wanted to lose herself in him, give everything she had to offer to him, and she would have – if they hadn't heard a door slam downstairs.

They jerked apart, tangled together, but looking deliberately away from each other – afraid their heated faces and red lips would draw them into one another again.

"Hanabi's home." Hinata whispered, because it was all she could manage.

Neji let his forehead fall against her breastbone, then lifted his head to lay an affectionate kiss on her jaw before pulling himself to his feet and flopping into the chair, his legs over one arm and his head over the other. "I'm glad she slams the door." He said softly.

Hinata, now lying on her side on the couch, had turned the TV on, and now looked over at him. "Why?"

He gave her a pointed look. "Because I wouldn't have made you mine right then" – Her face flushed further. – "and when we do that, I want it to be special – _not _on the couch in your den."

Hinata felt warm inside. He had said "when" – not "if." It didn't sound like an expectation, but a promise. She was about to respond when Hanabi threw the door open. "So you _are _here." She accused, glaring playfully at Neji and leaning on the back of his chair.

He blinked up at her, not lifting his head. "Yes. Yes, I am."

She rolled her eyes. "Some punishment this is. I was almost expecting to walk in on you two making out."

Neji and Hinata exchanged a look. Were they _that _obvious?

Hanabi sighed exasperatedly. "Oh, come _on. _You guys are _always _making googly eyes at each other." She shook her head, moving toward the door.

"Hanabi?" her older sister called and she turned to look at her. "You're – you're okay with this?"

She thought about it a moment, leaning on the doorknob. "If it makes you happy," she shrugged. "Oh, and don't worry – the 'rents haven't noticed yet. Grown-ups are stupid like that." She grinned, winking, and shut the door.

There was a long silence – both occupants of the room were staring at the TV, not really seeing what was playing on it – contemplating what her sister had said.

"She didn't say she was okay with it." Hinata whispered suddenly, eyes moving to Neji's.

He reached a hand out to her and she grasped it. "She didn't finish the sentence."

"What?"

He smiled, throwing his legs to the floor, and came back to the couch, lying down beside her and resting his head on her shoulder, lacing his fingers with hers. "She said, 'If it makes you happy,' right?"

She closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his breath on her neck and the way her body seemed perfectly molded to his. "Mhm."

"Well, the whole sentence would have been 'If it makes you happy, I'm okay with it.'" He tucked his arms around her, kissing her gently on the cheek. "My question is 'Are _you _okay with it? Do you think this is wrong?"

Hinata let her lips rest against his forehead. "It probably is wrong." She said softly, running her fingers over his shoulder blades and smiling when he shivered and snuggled closer. "But I don't think I care anymore."


	9. If You Could Only See This Photograph Of

… _I wonder what encouragement I'd find._

Hiashi knocked lightly on the door of the den. "Hey, Neji?" He waited a moment, opened it, and stood in the doorway, blinking, mouth opening and closing – not sure how to react.

Hinata and Neji were stretched across the couch. Her arms were wrapped around his head, which was nestled against her chest, hair splayed out across her shirt. They were sound asleep, clinging to each other.

_Don't jump to conclusions. _Hiashi kept telling himself that over and over, creeping forward and shaking his nephew's shoulder gently. "Neji." The younger Hyuuga's eyes blinked open, shifted to his uncle's. "Your father called. He wants you home."

Neji nodded, pulled himself lazily up, then turned to his cousin, saying her name to wake her. "Hey, I'm leaving."

Hinata smiled sleepily, fondly, slurring out, "See you t'morrow," before rolling over and drifting off again.

Neji straightened, stretched, nodded at Hiashi once, and left the room, leaving his very confused uncle standing staring at his daughter.

Neji hadn't seemed guilty, Hiashi realized. He hadn't acted like he had been doing anything wrong, and neither had Hinata. He hadn't jumped off of her as soon as he saw him, she hadn't pushed him away. And all that did was worry her father more.

0

Hinata's mother's eyebrow lifted. "You're overreacting."

Hiashi's mouth fell open. "How can you say that? They were all over each other!"

She sighed, shaking her head, and stirred the pot that sat before her on the stove. "It sounds to me like they were watching TV and fell asleep."

"_In each other's arms?_"

She rolled her eyes. "They were probably sitting next to each other and ended up cuddling up. It's like hugging a pillow in your sleep."

Somehow, her always-together and sophisticated husband managed to pull off a frazzled Hanabi-on-a-bad-hair-day expression. "I'm not buying it." He persisted stubbornly. "There are so many signs that they're doing something they shouldn't be. They're awfully close for cousins."

His wife leaned on the counter, a hand on her hip. "Are you going to approach her about it?"

"Are you kidding?" He seemed positively insulted by the idea. "Of course not!"

"So you're going to watch them like a hawk." It wasn't a question.

"Damn right I am."

She shook her head again. "At least be subtle enough to not embarrass her."

Hiashi scoffed. "I _live _for subtlety."

"You? Subtle. _Ha!_" Hanabi bounded into the kitchen, to her father's side. "You're about as subtle as a nuclear bomb."

Hiashi scowled, then brightened. "Say, Hanabi, what do you know about Hinata's relationship with Neji?"

"Ooh. _Real _subtle." His daughter hopped up to sit on the counter and sniff at the pot on the stove. She sat back on her hands and gave her father a knowing look. "From what I understand, Hinata-nee-chan considers Neji-nii-san her best friend. She feels like she can trust him with anything, and I think it's good that she can look to family for that." She was lying through her teeth, but it was for her sister, so she didn't care. "And I think it's kind of pathetic that you don't trust her to make good decisions."

"My sentiments exactly." Her mom spoke up, beaming and handing her a stack of dishes to set on the table. "You see, Hiashi? You're being ridiculous."

He huffed, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. "Fine. I get it."

Hanabi grinned, hugging her dad around the neck. "Good. It was weird being more mature than my dad."


	10. That's Always Out Of Focus In My Mind

Note from the Author: I was going to submit chapter nine before I typed chapter ten up … but Fan Fiction dot net SUCKS AT LIFE.

Oh, and how completely fucked-up is this. I always knew what an "AU" was but I just figured out today why it's called an AU. I'm such a retard.

I noticed the fact that I write poetry more than fiction is slowly becoming noticeable in this story. I've stopped writing in complete sentences.

… _that's always out of focus in my mind._

Wrestling to see who could turn the page first had become a little more difficult, seeing that they were competing one-handed, as their other hands were glued secretly together under the table and didn't want to leave each other's warmth for something so trivial.

Neji's first day back, he found everyone was dying to talk to him, and he found the entire idea of the lunch table a little repulsive. All the people around him seemed useless and stupid. He did however greatly enjoy being pressed against Hinata.

Over the next few days, they found themselves living for lunch time, to be close to each other.

Shino, of all people, was the first to notice. He had dropped his pen – or Kiba had taken it and thrown it at him – and, bending down to pick it up, found Neji's hand holding tightly to Hinata's. He didn't know what to make of it. They couldn't really be together, could they? Then, he figured it probably had something to do with why she'd been gone so long, and he shrugged inwardly, finding the pen and sitting back up.

TenTen was the second to see it and it was only because she was always looking at Neji. He was absolutely flawless and she watched his every move, soaking in his perfection – and one day, he leaned close to Hinata to say something in her ear, and TenTen would have _sworn _that he nuzzled his nose in her hair. But it never happened again, and she soon forgot about it.

Shikamaru picked up on the "Neji-nii-san" as soon as he heard Hinata address him. Hinata had been calling him "Neji-san" since she'd introduced him to them but suddenly the name was different – more intimate, personal. And the complete adoration she had for him was obvious when she looked up at him.

Neji's affection was harder to pick up on because he was quiet and closed by nature. But soon Shikamaru noticed the way he let their fingers brush together when her turned the page of the book, the way, when he spoke to someone down the table, he pressed himself against her. And Shikamaru wasn't as clueless as the rest of them – their hands that never appeared he knew he would find clasped between them beneath the table.

He didn't forget, but he had more important things to think about – like Temari's fingers sneaking up his shirt to march a suggestive trail of shivers along his skin.


	11. I Only Want To Know If This Could Happen

Note from the Author: … I might seriously finish writing the damn story before FanFiction,net starts working again. Le sigh.

_I only want to know if it could happen._

Hinata was sliding onto her stool at the island, yawning, when she heard the front door open and close. She leaned her head over the back of seat and smiled upside down at her cousin. "It's seven-fifteen. You're late."

"Sorry." Neji murmured, nuzzling against her neck. "My dad apparently has a sixth sense that tells him when I'm in love." He helped himself to a bite of her toast. "He gave me _The Talk,_" – Hinata shuddered – "while trying to 'subtly' pry out of me who it was."

She tried not to laugh at him, toeing the counter so the chair spun to face him and she could wrap her arms around him. "Do you want to talk about your traumatic experience?"

"Actually, speaking of," he took her hands and brought them to his lips, "I wanted to talk to you about Kabuto."

Hinata drew her hands from him, turned away, and proceeded to rip her toast apart with her fingers. "I don't want to talk about it."

"I'm not asking you to tell me what happened." He turned her head toward him with his fingers on her jaw. "Hinata-sama, I don't want him to have the chance to hurt you again. The police know it was him, but they can't arrest him without your statement – especially since they couldn't get a DNA sample from you. I want him to go to jail – we all do – and we need you to help us put him there."

She stared down at her plate, as if she were counting the ripped-up pieces of bread. "I'll think about it." She finally said quietly, looking up at him again. "I don't know if I can handle seeing him again – but it it'll make you happy, I can try. Just don't make me decide now." She grinned suddenly. "And if we go to court, you have to keep your cool. No attacking the defendant. If he's unconscious, they can't convict him."

He rolled his eyes playfully, smiled at her, turning her stool toward him again, and touched his mouth to hers lightly, his tongue tracing her bottom lip until she let him in to deepen the kiss. She dug her fingers into the hair at his temples, pulling him closer as he gripped her hips. They were so enraptured by each other that they didn't hear the door open and close upstairs, or the creak of footsteps – didn't know there was anyone else alive in the world until a shocked gasp came from the doorway of the kitchen, and they broke apart, staring in guilty horror at Hinata's mother who stared back, her mouth hanging open.

After a moment of the most mortifying silence, she swallowed. "Neji, please go to school."

He nodded, pushed himself off the counter, tossing Hinata a look only she understood, and edged out of the room. A moment later, they heard the front door and the elder Hyuuga fell against the door frame, exasperated. "What was wrong with Naruto?" she whispered, closing her eyes and leaning her head back.

"He's gay, Mom." Hinata said quietly.

Her mom opened her eyes, looked – glared –at her daughter. "Why _Neji_?"

Hinata wanted to glare back, but ended up averting her gaze. "He-he's-he makes me feel special." She blurted, looking up at her, eyes shining. "He's beautiful, and he's kind, and he understands me." She curled up in the stool. "He doesn't push me, and he loves me like I am." She was crying now, her eyes pressed against her thighs. "What's so wrong with that?"

The elder was taken aback by her words. She seemed so sincere, but it was still so wrong. "You can't see him like that anymore." She said softly.

A choking sob from Hinata. "I know."

"Come on." Her mom tossed her head. "Get cleaned up. I'll take you to school."


	12. I Really Want To Know If It Could Be

Note from the Author: I decided that replying to each reviewer personally is a huge hassle. So I decided to just do the popular thing, and reply to everyone in my author's notes!

**Kichou: **I assure you, there will be ass-kicking.

**Rcr**: I haven't decided which sleazy Naruto bad guy raped Hinata. When I do, I'll be sure to let you know. And I'm glad you think Neji is sweet. I think he's sweet too. I want to hug him, because he just radiates sweetness.

**Lilina: **I seriously considered having Naruto be the one that raped Hinata. _But _as much as I think he's an asshole – and as much as I made him out to be one in this story – I don't think he's really that villainous.

I wanted everyone to kind of see the relationship the two were developing. Besides that, it _gushes _fluff.

_I really want to know if it could be worth anything at all._

Neji always carried a pocket knife. Technically, he wasn't supposed to have it at school, but he had it anyway.

It was his lunch hour, and he sat outside the school, poking the tip of the knife across his fingers. He felt a little hollow. Hinata had avoided him deliberately all day, and his heart just ached when it wasn't completely numb. He preferred to concentrate on the physical pain the knife offered, and had just decided pricking himself wasn't good enough and was pressing the blade against his arm when fingers closed over his, took the knife away.

Hinata sat down beside him, leaning back against the wall, closing the knife. "It doesn't help." She said quietly, pocketing it.

He made a mental note that she put it in her right front pocket. "How do you know?"

She pushed her left sleeve up, revealing a crisscross of white and pink scars. "Used to do it a lot." She whispered. "It made me feel like I could do something for myself. I was making the decision to cause myself pain – and no one else was hurting me but me. It made me feel more alive."

Neji's breath caught. The incisions started at her wrist and climbed to her elbow. He let his fingers run lightly over them. "Some of these are fresh."

She pointed on of them out – red and thick, running from her wrist about four inches up her forearm. "This is my newest one. I did it right after Kabuto … well, you know." She shrugged. "That was my first and only suicide attempt." She smiled wryly.

Neji stared at her arm, then lifted it to his lips, laid kisses on each tender pink slash. "Don't do this anymore."

"You're a hypocrite." She winced slightly at his mouth on her wounds.

"I didn't realize," he choked a little on the words, "how much it would hurt to see this on someone I love." His eyes shown with tears he was trying hard not to cry. "How come you didn't-?"

Hinata lifted her arm from his grasp, studying her cuts. "I think I was worried someone would care I was gone. I didn't want anyone to hurt because of me."

"I would have hurt." He kissed her cheek gently.

She jerked away, stared at him, pain etched in every angle of her face. "We can't love each other like this anymore."

He sighed, pulling her close, relaxing a little when she didn't resist him. "I'm not going to ever stop loving you." He pressed his lips to the top of her head. "All they can do is separate us, because I'm always going to look at you like you're the most beautiful girl in the world."

She settled her forehead against his neck. "The bell's going to ring soon."

"I know." His hand found the curve of her waist. "But let's stay like this for a while. We're not going to be able to do this very often anymore."

She closed her eyes, a tear trailed down his neck from her face. "I'm sorry."

He held her tighter. "So am I."

0

Sakura narrowed her eyes at the Hyuuga approaching the lunch table.

Neji glared back, throwing his books on the tabletop. "_What?_"

"What's with you and Hinata?" Kiba demanded. "Either one of you shows up for lunch or the other does, or neither of you do, but you're never together. Did you fucking hurt her?" he stood up, somehow imagining someone else had made the accusation and he was backing said person up.

If Neji had been sitting down already, he would have jumped up in indignation. He stooped to eye level with the younger boy. "I would _never _hurt Hinata-sama. I'm the only one looking out for her." He gathered his books, snarled at him again. "Guess today's one of the days neither of us are going to be here."

"Neji-san, wait." Sakura grabbed his sleeve. "Sit down. You're my friend, and so is Hinata-chan. Tell us what's wrong."

Defeated, he slumped onto the bench, put his head down on his arms. "It's complicated." His muffled voice came forth.

"Bet it's not." Shikamaru yawned. "Trouble in paradise, right?"

Neji looked up. "What?"

Shikamaru smirked. "Come on. It's so obvious. You guys have been head-over-heels for each other for months."

Eight pairs of eyes blinked around at each other in surprise. Shino and TenTen shrugged as if they knew. Neji glared at Shikamaru and Shikamaru gave him a smug knowing look.

"Fine." Neji threw his hands in the air. "I'm completely in love with her."

The table was silent. Then, a little giggle escaped Sakura. "It's kind of cute." She admitted.

A relieved breath swept down the table. It seemed everyone shared the sentiment. "So what's the big deal?" Naruto spoke up. "What's the problem?"

Neji sighed, shoulders hunched. "Her parents don't think it's so cute."

"Why not?"

"Probably the whole families-shouldn't-love-each-other-that-way thing."

"What about your parents?" Lee piped up.

"They're hippies hardcore." He offered as an explanation. "If there's love involved, they don't care what kind it is."

"I'm sure it'll work out." Ino put in, smiling reassuringly. "After all, true love always prevails."

"Oh, cut the cheesy shit, Ino-pig!" Sakura glared playfully.

"You're one to talk, forehead-girl!" Ino growled back.

Neji couldn't help but smile. It felt good having them just accept him and how he felt. He yawned contentedly, letting the topic slide away into other things, like Ino and Sakura's banter, and drifted in and out, thinking more about Hinata than what was going on around him, wishing he could hold her.

"Hinata-chan!" Lee called suddenly.

Neji looked up. She stood in the doorway. She had seen him and had turned to leave when she'd been spotted. Now she gave a sheepish smile, moved slowly to the table, sat down in her usual seat. She was careful to touch her cousin as little as possible, and avoided his gaze. "Hi, guys." She said meekly, looking down at the lunch bag she'd set at the table.

"Oh, it's so cute!" Sakura gushed, tugging TenTen's sleeve. "She's pretending to ignore him!"

Hinata stared at her.

"Come on, Hinata!" Kiba nudged her with his shoulder. "Tell him you _love _him."

The younger Hyuuga was avoiding everyone's eyes like the plague. Neji leaned behind her to smack Kiba in the back of the head, warning him to cut it out. Hinata felt him brush against her and turned suddenly, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face against his chest. Everyone froze, stared at her, mouths hanging open. Neji smiled softly, stroking her hair, and kissed the top of her head, sliding an arm around her waist.

The table erupted in girlish shrieks, as TenTen, Sakura, Ino, and Temari overcame the initial shock of Hinata's bold affection, and were giggling and clapping, bouncing excitedly in their seats.

"See, was that so hard?" Kiba chuckled triumphantly.

Hinata blushed deeply at the attention and distracted herself with eating her sandwich, all the while secure in Neji's arms.


	13. It's Right

Note from the Author: Hey, everyone, sorry I haven't updated. I've had tonsillitis, but in my feverish delirium, I have two more chapters written out in my head – I just need to get them down on paper.

_The bluest summer skies cloudless in your eyes …_

Lately, Hinata found eating at home about as pleasant as tooth decay.

She was currently stabbing lasagna and pushing it around on her plate, watching the marinara sauce ooze through the prongs of her fork and thinking it looked like vaguely like blood. It made her stomach turn. "May I be excused?" she asked suddenly, already pushing back her chair.

Her father looked up. "Sure."

Hinata stood, picking up her plate and taking it to the sink.

"Don't worry about it, baby." Her mom said softly. "I'll take care of it."

"Thank you." She whispered, leaving the plate and running up to her room.

The table was quiet except for the dull clink of silverware on china. Hanabi was lightly but rapidly tapping her knife on the edge of her plate, her leg bouncing spasmodically in the near-silence. Finally, she burst. "You two are so horrible!" she exclaimed, standing up so fast her chair fell over.

Both her parents jumped. "Hanabi, what the hell is wrong with you?" her father said, standing up too so that he could look down on her.

"What's wrong with _me_?" Hanabi gave a bark of disbelieving laughter. "You're the ones more worried about reputations and 'right and wrong' than about your daughter's happiness!" she leaned on the table, glaring forward into her still-sitting mother's face. "Did it ever occur to you guys that loving someone _is _right, no matter who the person is? Hinata-nee-chan was so happy all the time because Neji-nii-san _loves _her. I can't believe you would want to take that away!" she shook her head, walking away. "You guys disgust me."

They listened to her angry footsteps ascend the stairs, staring down at their plates. Somehow, food didn't seem so appealing when both daughters hated them.


	14. Fin

Note from the Author: Note from the Author: This chapter is so OOC for Hinata, and I _love _it.

So this is it.

Thank you guys for being so great – I had a lot of fun writing this story, and I hope everyone enjoyed it. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed every single chapter for making me smile everyday when I get mail. Thank you to the people who have been reading silently for doing exactly what I do: enjoying quietly and making me happy at the same time. Thank you all for being so patient with me since I tend to write and update a little sporadically. Thank you to everyone who read this story and liked it enough to check out the other things I've written. Thanks for being around, I guess I'm saying. And I'll see everyone again, I hope.

Elizabethan fun fact: I'm a thesaurus whore.

… _and the rain belongs to all the tender songs that I'll be singing only for you now._

Hinata separated the blinds with her fingers, smiling at the blue sky, and looked at Kiba and Shino, who were sitting on the couch beside her.

It was June, the sun was shining, and they were out of school. Hinata had decided to give a statement against Kabuto, but he had fled, leaving the state completely – she was content with that, considering she wouldn't ever have to see him again. And to top off how beautiful her life was: She and Neji had been together with her parents' blessing for almost three months.

She bounced up from the sofa, her friends on her heels, calling a good-bye to her mother in the kitchen before skipping out the door.

"Morning, Hinata-chan!" Sakura waved from where she sat on the back of Sasuke's convertible. "Ready to go?"

The Hyuuga smiled, shifting her sunglasses from her head to her nose. "You know it!" She and the two boys with her hopped down the steps toward Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura who were waiting for them.

A VW van pulled up to and parked at the curb, and Neji, TenTen, and Lee spilled from it, strolling up to the group already waiting. Lee hopped up beside his girlfriend, draping an arm over her shoulders. Neji came to Hinata's side, settling a lingering kiss on her lips.

"Come on, lovers." Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji ran up, accompanied by Kankurou, Temari, and Gaara. "We've got about nine hours of sunlight and an hour drive to the beach. Let's _go_! You can make out all you want when we get there." With that statement, Ino's company split up – Shikamaru and Temari climbed into the backseat of Neji's car, followed by Kankurou and Chouji. Ino and Gaara squeezed in with Sakura and Lee in the back of Sasuke's, TenTen nudging in next to Naruto in the front.

"I still can't believe you drive a hippy van, Neji." Kiba scoffed, following Shino into it.

Neji laced his fingers with Hinata's, leading her to the passenger's side and opening the door for her. "At least I drive at all. And if my car smells like your stupid dog, I'll kill you."

Hinata laughed, climbing in and closing the door. "I'm surprised Akamaru's not with you, Kiba-kun."

He shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "Eh, you know. I figured this stick-in-the-mud wouldn't be cool with him."

Neji buckled his seatbelt, glaring at him in the rearview mirror. "Watch it, dog-boy, I'll put you out."

"Yo!" Ino was yelling again. "Let's get going!"

Sasuke pushed his car into reverse, backed out, and put it in drive, sending it skidding down the street. Neji rolled his eyes, pulling out behind him. "What a show-off."

"Oy, get the hell off my sister!" came a shout from the back.

"Kankurou, shut the fuck up!" Temari shouted back.

Kiba snickered and Hinata smiled, rolling down her window. They paused at a red light, and Neji pulled her across the armrests for a kiss. She held his lips against her own for as long as she was allowed, until Kiba yelled, "Hey, the light's green!"

Hinata laughed, settling back in her seat, enjoying the breeze on her face, Neji's hand in hers as he drove. "You know something, Neji-nii-san?" she whispered.

"Yeah?" he smiled fondly at her for a moment, running his thumb across the back of her hand, before turning his eyes back to the road.

She cast her head around, looking back at the friends behind her – all of whom were involved in a collective playful bickering – and forward at the friends in the car ahead of them – who were all thrashing around in a wild seat-dance to some rock song – except for Sasuke who was scowling and trying to ignore Naruto, who was pressing suggestively against him, so he could concentrate on driving. She grinned, savoring the company of them all. "I think everything's going to be okay now."

"Why do you say that?" His eyebrow lifted at the crazy kids in the convertible, wondering vaguely what the old ladies in the car beside them were thinking.

Hinata pressed her lips to his jaw, pulling his attention back to her. "Because I love you." She said softly, nipping his neck lightly, then she leaned out the window, cupping her hands around her mouth. "And I love all you mother_fuckers_!"

She laughed as fourteen voices lifted in cheering agreement.

_Fin._


End file.
